Thursday 16 August 2012 16.19 EDT
First published on Thursday 16 August 2012 16.19 EDT

England finally found refuge from the Kevin Pietersen controversy that has dominated their buildup to the third Test against South Africa out in the middle, as a notably united team effort secured seven of the wickets they need to take to stay at the top of the world rankings in the absence of their errant star.

Taking the field without Pietersen for the first time in a Test since the 2009 Ashes series after Graeme Smith had spared Andrew Strauss from a tricky decision in his 100th Test by winning the toss and choosing to bat, they seized the initiative by reducing the tourists to 54 for four in the morning session.

South Africa recovered to 262 for seven by the close but even JP Duminy, their top-scorer with 61, conceded that left England "more on top than we are". Steve Finn, who took three of those first four wickets to justify his retention in the team ahead of Tim Bresnan, tried to downplay the significance of Pietersen's absence, but stressed the importance of England's collective effort in the field.

"I thought we were great as a team – all 11 people out there were focused on playing for England," Finn said. "What's happened hasn't affected the way we've approached this game. After Monday everything was swept under the carpet. We've got through tough times together, we've done that well in the past and today we showed that again. Bowling first always puts a bit of pressure on you to take early wickets.

"I thought we bowled beautifully in the first session and made use of the conditions. As the day went on the sun came out and the ball got softer, so conditions got better to bat in. But we're very happy with where we are."

There had been a boost for England before the start of play, as a decision by the International Cricket Council to put back the deadline for the confirmation of World Twenty20 squads from Saturday to next Friday spared them the embarrassment of having to omit Pietersen again during this Test.

Theoretically, they now have an extra six days to reach agreement with Pietersen, who rescinded his retirement from one-day international cricket in the video he posted on YouTube last Saturday. But the fact that England still plan to name their squad the day after the Lord's Test is over would seem to quash any fanciful theories that he could yet make a dramatic return.

South Africa's policy of refusing to answer questions over the exact nature of the texts Pietersen has admitted sending to members of their team even extended to a refusal to comment on the controversial dismissal of Jacques Kallis in the morning session.

Kallis was clearly furious to be given out caught behind by the third umpire Rod Tucker after replays suggested that although the ball had brushed his glove as he fenced at a short ball from Finn down the leg-side, his hand may not have been in contact with the bat at the time.

Television cameras showed Smith and other South African players looking equally unimpressed in the dressing room, but after Duminy had admitted they were "a little bit disappointed", the tour manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee stepped in.

Dr Moosajee, the same man who after initially confirming the existence of Pietersen's texts had described them as "friendly banter" – even though Pietersen himself has now conceded they were "provocative" – said that Duminy was not permitted to comment any further because of ICC regulations.

"Obviously the first session didn't go our way," he had said earlier. "But we're pretty happy with the way sessions two and three went for us. As it stands now England are probably more on top than we are."

Of his own performance, Finn added: "I'm delighted to get three quite important wickets. At that stage we needed wickets to really assert ourselves on the South Africans in this game. Maybe I chased wickets a bit, but I've come into the team as not an enforcer exactly, but a wicket-taker."

Jimmy Anderson also bowled beautifully to take three for 58 from 23 overs, overtaking Bob Willis to become England's third most successful bowler in Test matches at Lord's, now with 49 and behind only Ian Botham and Fred Trueman. Matt Prior also enhanced his standing in the wicket-keeping rankings, climbing above Bob Taylor to fifth in England's all-time list with four catches.